CLI command

analyze

Collect a current snapshot of a solution without writing files so teams can learn the shape before they automate anything.

Command contract

Use analyze for the first read. It prints the current solution shape, complexity, and primary-path signal without creating artifacts.

Best for

First-run learning, local spot checks, and CI jobs that only need the current picture.

Writes files

No. It prints a summary to stdout only.

Exit behavior

Returns 0 on success. Returns 1 for usage errors or analysis failures.

Usage

Start with the exact command shape the CLI supports today.

Command

dotnet simplicity analyze path/to/YourSolution.sln

Healthy first pass

Run it on a compact sample before pointing the tool at a production solution.

dotnet simplicity analyze samples/Sample.Simplified/Sample.Simplified.sln

Baseline-free CI read

Use analyze on every branch even before you decide whether diff should block merges.

dotnet simplicity analyze YourSolution.sln

What it prints or produces

The summary is intentionally compact, but it still covers the core structural, code, and onboarding signals.

Total projects and countable source files.
Primary-path file count plus abstraction layer count.
Single-implementation interfaces, external dependencies, and unused dependencies.
Average method complexity and estimated onboarding time.
A warning instead of a hard failure when simplicity.json is missing.

Sample output

Warning: simplicity.json was not found in '/path/to/solution'. Using built-in defaults for TCA inputs and filter thresholds.
Simplicity Snapshot (2026-05-01)
----------------------------------------
Projects: 2
Total files: 23
Primary path files: 5
Abstraction layers: 1
Single-impl interfaces: 0
External deps: 0 (0 unused)
Avg complexity: 1.4
Est. onboarding: 0h

Operational notes

These behaviors matter when you move from a local run to team automation.

The structural project count includes all C# projects, but semantic and primary-path passes skip test projects for abstraction, dependency, and primary-path heuristics.
Primary-path detection prefers explicit [PrimaryPath] annotations and falls back to Controllers, Endpoints, Handlers, and Pages folders plus reference-based heuristics.
analyze is the safest command to run everywhere because it does not depend on a baseline or write output folders.

Use the surrounding docs when you need setup, filter interpretation, or CI context.

Next step